Donald Trump, the 45th and soon to be 47th president of the United States, will be inaugurated in Washington on Monday, in an event moved indoors by freezing weather from the Capitol steps where he was first sworn into power eight years ago.
Trump will again take the oath of office, and complete an astonishing political comeback.
Here’s everything you need to know about the schedule, attendees and celebrations:
When is the inauguration and where will Trump take the oath of office?
The US constitution mandates very little about the inauguration of a new president – just the date and time of the ceremony: midday ET on 20 January – and the short, 35-word oath of office. Over the years, however, a lot of ceremony has accrued to the event, which the incoming president has been keen to embrace in full, in contrast to Biden’s inauguration four years ago, which took place during the Covid pandemic and in the wake of the January 6 attempted uprising.
Trump boycotted that event; this time, he is not sparing on ceremony, having complained about a White House order that Capitol flags should fly at half-mast for 30 days despite the recent death of Jimmy Carter. They will be temporarily raised for the duration of the inauguration.
Trump will be sworn in at precisely 12.00pm ET (5pm GMT, 4am Tuesday AEDT) on 20 January – falling on Martin Luther King Jr Day, marking only the third such overlap in American history after Obama’s 2013 and Clinton’s 1997 inaugurations.
Because of the freezing weather, Trump said on Friday that the inauguration and related speeches will be held indoors in the US Capitol rotunda, and the Capital One Arena in Washington will host a live viewing of the ceremony and parade. Speeches should begin around 11.30am ET.
“All other events will remain the same,” Trump said.
Trump will place his hand on a Bible and recite the 35-word presidential oath, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts: “I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the president of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the constitution of the United States.”
His running mate, the Ohio senator JD Vance, will be sworn in moments before as vice-president.
What will the Washington weather be that day?
The Weather Channel forecasts a high of 24F (-4.4C) and a low of 9F (-13C) with partly sunny skies, although the wind chill will make it feel much colder. Monday is expected to be colder than Sunday, which has a high probability of snowfall, potentially accumulating 1 to 3in (2.5 to 7.6cm).
How to watch in the US, UK, Australia and around the world?
The Guardian will stream live on our YouTube channel and have a live feed in our inauguration blog, where a team of reporters will be covering and factchecking Trump’s speech.
In the US, all major news networks will broadcast Trump’s speech live and carry coverage throughout the day. Coverage starts as early as midnight ET on CNN, with other major networks to begin their programming early in the morning. CBS, CSPAN and PBS will carry coverage live on YouTube.
In the UK, the inauguration will be broadcast on BBC One from 3.30pm GMT and iPlayer. Sky News, ITV and Channel 4 will also carry coverage of the inauguration.
In Australia, all major free-to-air TV networks will broadcast the inauguration as it happens. Coverage on the ABC, Seven, Nine, Ten and SBS begins between 2.30am and 3.30am AEDT on Tuesday, depending on the channel. Each will also have live streams on their apps and on YouTube via ABC News 24.
CSPAN’s YouTube stream is available in many regions around the world. Or you can watch it on the White House website, which will provide a globally available live stream.
When is Trump’s inaugural address and what will he say?
Trump’s inaugural address follows the swearing-in. In 2017, he spoke of “American carnage” and outlined his vision for an “America first” agenda. The 16-minute speech offered a sinister view of the US where Trump vowed to return power from the self-interested politicians to the American people.
Expect Trump to talk about several policy initiatives he has pledged to enact immediately upon taking office, including closing the southern border, launching what he calls the largest deportation operation in US history, and pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists who are either jailed or facing court cases.
It is unclear to what extent his promise for a flurry of first-day executive orders will come up on the stage, but they reportedly range from ending electrical vehicle mandatesand eliminating federal regulations to the so-called “efficiency department” co-helmed by Elon Musk and banning transgender athletes from women’s sports and the military. Additionally, Trump has said he would act quickly to broker peace between Russia and Ukraine, though he recently extended his own timeline for resolving the conflict from one day to six months.
Who will attend?
The ceremony will bring together a mix of tech executives, former presidents and possibly some foreign leaders. The inaugural dais will probably host TikTok’s CEO, Shou Zi Chew; along with Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg; Amazon’s CEO, Jeff Bezos; and the X and Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, in positions of honor. The Coinbase CEO, Brian Armstrong, was invitedbut it was unclear if he would attend, Bloomberg reported.
All living former presidents are expected to attend: Barack Obama (though Michelle Obama has declined), Joe and Jill Biden, Bill and Hillary Clinton, and George W and Laura Bush. Trump’s team has extended invitations to several foreign leaders, including China’s president, Xi Jinping; El Salvador’s president, Nayib Bukele; the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán; and Argentina’s president, Javier Milei. The former House speaker and California Democrat Nancy Pelosi said she would not attend.
As for crowd size, before the event was moved indoors, US Capitol police were expecting an estimated quarter-million ticketed guests at the event, and thousands of protesters. Additionally, 25,000 law enforcement and military personnel will be activated, along with the full DC police, 7,800 national guard troops and 4,000 officers from around the country.
Jake and Logan Paul, Theo Von, Amber Rose, Caitlyn Jenner and Megyn Kelly are reportedly attending.
Which companies are funding the celebration?
The Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee has raised upwards of $170m, with expectations to exceed $200m – dwarfing Obama’s 2009 total of $53m and Clinton’s 1997 total of less than $24m.
Major corporate donors include the world’s five largest tech companies, each contributing at least $1m. Microsoft doubled its usual contribution to $1m, while Google tripled its traditional offering from $285,000 to $1m. The auto industry has shown strong support, with Toyota, Ford and General Motors each donating $1m. Other major contributors include Pfizer, Hims & Hers, Intuit and Robinhood, which gave $2m.
Lockheed Martin joined the million-dollar donor club, even as the committee hosts fewer events than previous inaugurations.
How will Trump’s supporters celebrate?
Breaking from the DC-centric traditions of previous inaugurations, several parties will occur at Trump’s Virginia golf club, including a fireworks display on Saturday visible only to event attenders – more than 20 miles from the Capitol.
A pre-inauguration Maga rally at Capital One Arena will gather supporters on Sunday, and another unofficial ball hosted by the Black Conservative Federation on inauguration eve will feature the rapper Waka Flocka Flame and the former NFL receiver Antonio Brown.
Zuckerberg – alongside billionaire backers Miriam Adelson, Tilman Fertitta and Todd Ricketts – are also co-hosting a pre-inaugural reception for Trump.
Three official inaugural balls will take place on Monday evening: the Commander in Chief Ball for military service members, the Liberty Ball featuring the Village People and aimed at Trump supporters, and the Starlight Ball for high-dollar donors.
This represents a significantly smaller number than recent inaugurations – Obama hosted 10 balls in 2009, while Clinton attended 14 in 1997. Biden did not attend any in 2021, because of the pandemic.
Who is performing?
The musical lineup spans country and disco, with Carrie Underwood and Lee Greenwood performing at the swearing-in ceremony.
The classical vocalist Christopher Macchio will sing the national anthem, announcing on X his “deep humility and gratitude” for the invitation. The evening celebrations feature Jason Aldean and Village People at the Liberty Ball, Rascal Flatts at the Commander in Chief Ball and Gavin DeGraw at the Starlight Ball.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Kid Rock will perform at Sunday’s Maga rally. The inaugural committee has also promised a “surprise musical guest” at the Liberty Ball, though no additional details have been released.
What’s the full schedule for the inauguration?
According to the Trump-Vance Inaugural team, the celebrations begin on Saturday with a reception and fireworks at Trump’s Virginia golf club, followed by a cabinet reception and vice-president’s dinner. Sunday will feature a wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery’s tomb of the unknown soldier and a “victory rally” at Capital One Arena, concluding with a candlelight dinner.
Inauguration day begins with a morning church service at St John’s, followed by the traditional tea with the Bidens at the White House. After the noon swearing-in, Trump will participate in his first official acts in the President’s Room at the Capitol, attend a congressional luncheon hosted by the joint congressional committee on inaugural ceremonies, review the troops on the east front steps, and lead a procession of ceremonial military regiments and marching bands. The day concludes with an Oval Office signing ceremony, followed by Trump speaking at three inaugural balls.
The festivities will end on Tuesday with a national prayer service.
What else to know
Trump is the oldest person in history to take office as president at 78 years and 220 days. He is five months older than Biden was when he was sworn in in 2021.
He is only the second president in history to return to office after being defeated for a non-consecutive second term. The other was Grover Cleveland, 22nd and 24th president, who regained the White House in 1893, defeating Benjamin Harrison who had ousted him four years earlier.
The last time an inauguration was moved indoors because of freezing temperatures was for Ronald Reagan in 1985.
